This invention relates broadly to light ray or light-beam indicators, and more particularly to a small portable light-beam indicator of the projector type which generates a projected cone or beam of light used to help effect optimum placement of optical type fire-detection sensors, by simulating the normally invisible field-of-view of such optical sensors.
Because optical sensors do not emit a visible field-of-view or similar light source beam in a solid or uninterrupted three-dimensional pattern such as a cone, pyramid, rectangle, triangular or other suitable form, there is customarily required an exceptionally large amount of very accurate design layout effort to determine what usually proves to be a less than optimum location for the optical sensors.
For certain combat and tactical military vehicle applications, complete area or volume monitoring of an enclosure is required, and usually requires placement or mounting of several such optical type sensors. It is evident that the purpose of such sensors is to monitor and protect areas used by personnel as well as other equipment and/or data storage and work areas.
Thus the importance of evolving such a novel portable light-beam projector and system to assure strategic placement of such optical type sensors is quite apparent. It is believed to be further apparent that optimum location of such sensors is equally desired in conjunction with the installation of various intrusion and/or fire-suppression systems, whether of a military or civil commercial/industrial character.
Among the prior art there are known devices which utilize projected light beams in various ways as optical plumb levelers, line transferring devices, and visual imaging or light referencing system or area locators. Examples of such apparatus may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,858,984; 3,982,839; 3,988,837; and 3,854,820. The present invention differs significantly from these and all other devices of which I am aware.